Five Times Bucky Barnes and Clara Oswald Met
by phoebesglassballoon
Summary: Clara was splintered across time and space; Bucky was taken out of his time. It was only natural that they meet. Four times that they met in the wrong order, and the one time both of them inadvertently found each other. Inspired when I re-watched Captain America, and I saw Jenna-Louise Coleman in it. AU, a bit OOC. Winter Soldier and Season 7 part 2 spoilers. Oneshot, Complete.


_I own nothing._

_If this seems OOC, just imagine it happening as he remembers (before they wipe his memory)._

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**1.**

Clara Oswald has never liked her name. Well, she did like her name before the War started and all the girls on the block teased her about it being too German.

Her father says it's a beautiful name, one her mother picked out. Clara argues with him; after all, isn't her mother dead?

They compromise on Connie. It is American enough for Clara, and close enough to her original name for her father to be satisfied.

Clara doesn't know why she's ashamed of being German. She never has before.

Clara "Connie" Oswald is eighteen years, young, and free. She spends her days helping out at the hospital with her best friend Debbie, and her nights at the club flirting with boys.

That is when she meets James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. He is twenty-three years old, and one of the biggest flirts she's ever seen.

Debbie sets them up (a buddy of his owes her a favor) and they hit it off immediately.

Their first date is to the Stark Expo, which, Connie will admit it, is actually pretty fun.

Well, except for the part where Debbie complains about being stuck with Bucky's friend Steve.

There is really not much to say about Steve but he has a good heart.

He sets off for war with a promise to write her everyday. She sees him off with a heavy heart.

He keeps his promise, and she cries when she finds out he's dead.

**-()()()- -()()()-**

**2.**

Oswin "Ozzie" Oswald is twenty-two, and the newest member of the KGB. She is young enough not to call too much attention to herself, but old enough that she can get into places younger girls can't.

But first, Ozzie has to be taught how to conceal. So on March 4, 1962, Ozzie Oswald begins to train with the Winter Soldier.

The Winter Soldier doesn't talk much, Ozzie notices. He only critiques her fighting style (which is a shame, because to Ozzie if he cut his hair, he would be quite a handsome man).

Then, one day, she and the Winter Soldier are sent on a mission to Paris to 'exterminate' a man known as Alexandre Baudelaire, along with his wife, Emilia, and children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny.

The mission failed. The children still lived.

Later, the two of them sit in a small café, where they each order coffee and a croissant.

The Winter Solider stares at Ozzie, scrunching his face, trying to remember.

"I know you," he says, almost confidently.

"You do?" she says.

"You're Connie," he says. "I remember."

"I'm sorry. I'm not Connie."

The Winter Solider leans back and sighs in a defeated way.

**-()()()- -()()()-**

**3.**

It was October 21, 1967, in Washington, D.C. and Clara "Clare" Oswald was protesting.

The Vietnam War was pointless, really. All it was doing was killing their boys.

Riley, Clare's favorite cousin, had been deployed. Paul, Clare's least favorite cousin, had been deployed as well.

Then, Aunt Grace got The Letter: Paul had been killed in action and Riley had lost a leg with severe burns across her arms, torso, and remaining leg.

That was when Clare decided that the Vietnam War was killing too many. She knew that too many mothers would lose their sons if this continued.

But the protests were about to take a turn that night.

Suddenly, all Clare could hear was screams. Fire erupted all around her, and she began to run.

Someone took her arm. The person that had grabbed it had a metal hand - it was felt cold against bare skin and the grip was nearly bruising.

"Come with me," the person said. They stepped into the light, and Clare saw his face: pale with long hair and eyeliner smudged around his eyes.

"Oh, thank god you're safe, Ozzie." The person said.

"I'm not Ozzie," Clare said. "I'm Clare."

"So you're not Connie?"

"No."

The man turned to walk off, but Clara called out to him, "Wait! What's your name?"

"To be honest," the man said, "I don't really know."

**-()()()- -()()()-**

**4.**

Clara Oswald had been to an alien planet and had battled evil WiFi, and now she could add fighting and Martian (Ice Warrior) to her alien-fighter resume.

But the Doctor did confuse her sometimes. He would stare at her intently for a minute or two, as if trying to figure her out like she was a puzzle.

And when she caught him, he would lie. Contrary to the beliefs of the school bullies, Clara was quite intelligent. (Not that the WiFi incident didn't help…)

But here she was, back in time in 1983 on a Soviet submarine near the North Pole.

Technically, she shouldn't be here. She wondered for a minute if the Doctor had ever been behind the Iron Curtain.

"We better head out before HYDRA sends someone," Captain Zhukov said.

"What's HYDRA?" Clara asked.

"Or the Red Room," Captain Zhukov continued.

"Too late," the Doctor said, pointing to the sky. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the Winter Soldier?

"Oh, shit," one of the crew members muttered.

"What's so bad about him?" Clara asked.

"Assassin."

"Oh."

The encounter was rather quick; the Winter Soldier would just accompany the submarine back to Russia.

But then he looked at her.

"I've seen you before! Who are you? Are you Connie? Are you Ozzie? Are you Clare?"

"No," she said quietly, "I'm Clara."

He turns away.

"Come on," the Doctor says gently. "We need to go, get back to Angie and Artie."

"Yeah," she agrees, but she can't seem to tear her eyes away from the Winter Soldier.

**-()()()- -()()()-**

**5.**

It kind of made sense now to Clara.

She was sitting outside a small tea shop. It's been almost a year since she jumped into the Doctor's time stream and five months since he regenerated and she's come to a conclusion about the Winter Soldier: he met echoes of herself.

The only question is how. He would have to be at least in his fifties by now.

A voice startles her. "Mind if I join you?"

It's the Winter Soldier.

"No, not at all." she replies.

He has coffee in his hands, hands that are scarred and calloused.

"What's your name? Your real name," She asks.

"I think it's Bucky."

"Bucky?"

"A nickname."

"Do you know your full name?"

"Not always. I'm trying to remember, but some days are harder than others."

"I'll call you Bucky, then."

"Clara?"

"Yes." she says.

"The same Clara from 1983?" he asks, shocked.

"Time travel. But you're the same Bucky."

He waves his hand in a dismissive manner. "I have an excuse."

"And what's that?" she asks with a small smile on her lips.

"I was, quite literally, frozen." he said with a teasing yet pompous grin on his face.

Clara bursts out laughing. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"So, Clara, tell me: how do you get around? Time travel?

"I think you met my echoes." she says.

"Echoes?"

She shrugs. "Long story short, different versions of me are splintered across time and space."

"Well, there was Connie in the 1940's…Ozzie in 1962…Clara in 1967…Clara in 1983…and now Clara again in 2014."

She shrugs. "Probably me."

"You don't seem to shocked that I'm the same age."

"Like I said, time traveler. Nothing scares me anymore."

"Mmm hmm. Don't want to get too cocky." Bucky flashed a quick grin toward her.

"Oh, like you're one to talk!"

"I am, thank you very much."

"Stop it, you!" She reached over, lightly smacking him on the arm.

But what happened next was unexpected. He pulled her over and kissed her.

She kissed him back, and for once, she felt happy.

Bucky abruptly pulled away. "I'm sorry, I have to go," he said with an embarrassed look on his face.

"It's fine," Clara replied.

He stood up and turned to leave, but Clara called out to him, "Wait! Here's my name and number if you ever need it."

"I'll keep it mind, Miss Clara Oswald." He said, looking at the slip of paper.

"I'll see you around, Bucky."

He gave her a wave good-bye, and she watched as Bucky walked off.

She knew he would call her, and true to her guess, he called her the week later to schedule a date.

And so Clara Oswin Oswald agreed, and a romance splintered across time begun.

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_Author's Note: Crossposted on Tumblr: phoebesglassballoon. tumblr post/ 88482484533/ five-time-bucky-barnes-met-clara-oswald_

_Remove the spaces to see it._

_This is Bucky Barnes (Winter Solider)/Clara Oswin Oswald. Just saying._

_Hope you enjoyed!_

_Please Review!_


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